The Vytal festival is a wonderful thing.
Beacon was packed with visitors with a wide array of new weapons for Ruby to look into and savour. Dust prices were being reduced by the Council dipping into the city's reserves of the precious resource in order to provide some sort of stability to the skyrocketing price of Dust for the 200,000 or so new arrivals.
Above all, the fairground that had been constructed at Beacon was the bestest thing of them all, even better than weapons or the fact she didn't have to scrounge off of Weiss for Dust anymore!
It was just…fun! It had pink cotton candy, candy canes, a plethora of sweets and treats and games from that duck one with the pole to the super crazy spinning ride that was like a rollercoaster except you were essentially thrown around in circles by a spinning machine.
Jaune should probably stay away from that one, but to Ruby it was really cool! It was like she was using her semblance but without any of the effort or energy she usually expended using it.
It was awesome!
Now if only her team would stop being so lame and enjoy it with her.
"Come on guys!" She pleaded beggingly, definitely not whining like Yang would sometimes accuse her of. "It's got sweets, it's got rides, it's got prizes-what's not to like!"
"We've been three days in a row now Ruby." Blake deadpanned coolly, not even looking up from the book she was reading. Yang at least had the decency to stop scrolling through the student forums to listen to her.
"My bank account cannot handle the strain of so many trips." Weiss spoke up, stopping doing her work at her desk to give Ruby an icy glare. "There is a limit to how much I can spend, you know?"
"It's a tax write off because we have fun and build bonds as a team!" Ruby countered, making Weiss blink and Yang wolf whistle.
"She's been spending wayyy too much time around you Ice Queen." Yang chuckled, rolling back over to click on something on her Scroll.
"Do you even know what a tax write off is?" Weiss asked her, and Ruby made a so-so gesture.
"Kinda. I know what it is but it's hard to explain if that makes sense." Ruby answered, and Weiss gave a short, respectful nod.
"Very well. Congratulations on expanding your vocabulary Ruby."
"Does this mean you'll-?"
"No."
"Darn it."
"Just ask Team JNPR." Yang suggested. "I'm sure Nora would be up for it."
"That's what I'm worried about." Ruby muttered quietly. She loved Nora, she really did, but she was insistent on dragging Ren along so Ruby just felt like an awkward third wheel on their not together-together togetherness.
Ruby headed towards the door, stopping just before it to give her teammates one last pleading look. They all ignored her though, Blake flipping a page in her book, Yang's eyes glued to her Scroll and Weiss scribbling away at her homework.
Ruby sighed melancholy, definitely not a huff, and calmly left the room, definitely not slamming it shut to startle them.
"Pretty please?"
"No can do Ruby the Redster." Nora replied sadly, giving her a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Ren's all tuckered out from going yesterday so wants to do some boring study stuff instead."
Ren gave Ruby a deadpan look from over Nora's shoulder that managed to convey so much despite no words being spoken. He managed to portray desperation to be saved from the clutches of Nora Valkyrie but also trepidation of another trip to the Beacon fair with her.
It would have been impressive if the latter part wasn't so insulting.
"Do you know where Jaune is?" Ruby asked, hearing a defeated sigh quietly leave Ren. Nora either didn't hear or ignored it.
"Nope!" Nora replied after a moment's thought. "He was supposed to meet Pyrrha in the library for a study session but she got a call from her old agent. Some scandal or something. I wasn't really listening, but I think she had to cancel it. Or something. I dunno."
"Okay then…" Ruby said, watching as Nora suddenly spun around, threw Ren over her shoulder and dashed away like a cartoon villain with a sackful of stolen goods. Well that had just happened…
Was it a good thing or a bad thing that Ruby didn't think that Nora doing that was weird?
"Hey Ruby!"
"Argh!" Ruby screamed, leaning away from the voice. She turned and saw Jaune, who gave her a smug smile.
"Got ya." He taunted, before surprising her by booping her nose.
"No you didn't!" Ruby protested, though it was only half-hearted at best. She knew when to admit defeat, and being caught screaming redhanded was when one admitted defeat.
"Yes I did." Jaune said, before leaning forward and beckoning her closer to him with a stage whisper. "Ruby? Wanna know something cool?"
"What?" Ruby whispered back, leaning forward so his hand was cupped against her ear and his warm, soft breath tickled against her skin.
"You're it." Jaune muttered quietly, a light snort erupting at the end as he turned around and sprinted away. "No Semblances or you're a dirty cheater!"
It took Ruby all of three seconds to process what had just happened and understand why Nora had suddenly taken off like she had done.
"Dang it Jaune!" Ruby yelled, tearing off after her tall friend like one of her bullets zooming towards a Grimm. "That was a dirty move!"
"Got you!" Ruby yelled triumphantly, ignoring the dirty looks a couple of transfers were shooting at her after her cloak had whipped into them as she tried to catch Jaune. At times like this, Ruby could almost understand people who argued wearing a cloak was stupid and stifling in combat.
Those people were also wrong and should be legally diagnosed with stupidity. But at least she had caught Jaune!
"Nope." Jaune grinned, popping the 'p' in the traditional Rose/Xiao-Long way that Ruby instantly knew that whatever he said next was going to be both one million percent true and something she would hate with all her guts. "The fair is neutral ground, like the cafeteria, changing rooms, bathrooms or the library."
"Really?!" Ruby cried, clasping her hands against the scruff of his hoodie and looking into his vibrant blue eyes with her own pleading ones. "When was that a rule?"
"Earlier today when Nora ran into General Ironwood and knocked the hotdog he was eating onto his white uniform. It had a lot of ketchup Rubes, the poor guy looked like he'd been murdered." Jaune explained, and although Ruby let him go she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at her friend's underhanded tactics. First the surprise attack and now using rules she didn't know about to avoid being the dreaded 'it'.
"Well we're at the fair now." Ruby said quietly, before her eyes lit up and light bulb sparked over her head. "Wanna do stuff?"
"You bet I do!" Jaune replied, raising his hand into the air. Ruby grinned and jumped up to give him a high five before promptly clutching his hand in her own and using it to drag him around behind her.
"Guys pay because equality." Ruby chirped innocently, making Jaune blink and look around him.
"But there's just…me. Oh come one Rubes! I-"
Any and all protests were cut off when Ruby pulled up her eternal ace card. She whirled around suddenly so he stumbled to halt to try and not run her over, making the mistake of looking into her wide, shining eyes as he stabilised himself.
"Pleeease?" Ruby asked quietly, twiddling her fingers together in small circles. "You'd be my bestie better than the restie if you did."
Jaune broke. He always, and if they were in a group he'd be the first to break as well.
"Fine." Jaune sighed, though a smile crept along his face as she cheered and pulled him into a quick hug.
He was nice and warm and snuggly, and it felt pleasant to rub her face against his soft, big, strong chest like it was a pillow.
Then she realised what she was doing and stepped back and spun around like a marching shoulder, dragging him along behind her in order to stop him from seeing her red face.
It was a shame she didn't, because if she saw his face right now, she'd see it was also as red as a tomato.
"Jaune…"
"I can do it! One more shot!"
"Jaune you said that thirteen tries ago."
"Just you watch, I promise I'll get it this time!"
"Jaune I saw you also said that thirteen times ago. Come on, there's a queue because of us."
Jaune ignored the grumblings and Ruby's gentle tugs. He took a deep breath, took aim, and fired.
And unlike the last twenty-seven tries, the mountain of cans fell down.
Ruby blinked before cheering, and the bored looking owner clapped slowly before waving his hand at the prizes.
"Choose one then never come back here blondie." The owner grumbled, quickly snatching the small knight plushie he pointed out.
Jaune and Ruby quickly made their way away from the stall, trying to ignore the glares, muttering and grumbles that followed them from the long line. Maybe Jaune had pushed his look a little bit too far, but the plushie in his hand made it all worth it.
He pulled Ruby to a stop before theatrically bowing and giving her the plushie.
"For the fair lady." Jaune grinned, feeling a twinge of nervousness as Ruby quietly took the plushie.
"Are you serious?" Ruby asked quietly, and her silver eyes conveyed doubt and scepticism. Jaune nodded.
"Absolutely. I picked it out because it reminded me of you ya know?"
"Really?"
"Yeah." Jaune smiled, giving Ruby a gentle nudge. "Everyone calls me the knight, but everyone knows you're a real hero. You're kind, strong, funny and a natural leader. Not to mention you'd be swarmed with people trying to be your boyfriend if Yang didn't scare them all off. Or girlfriend! I don't judge."
Ruby stared at the plushie for a few more moments, before giving him an indescribable look. Then she tucked the plushie under one arm and tugged it into her chest before she took his hand with her free one and gave him a dazzlingly beautiful smile.
"Thanks Jaune." Ruby smiled happily, her hand soft, small and tightly clamped around his own.
"N-No problem Rubes." Jaune replied, feeling a lump in his throat and a nervous thrill shooting up his arm from where their hands were conjoined. Was he really having blood circulation issues there already?
The Ferris wheel hummed and circus-like music played softly in the background from the haunted house next to it. With a sudden, jerking jolt, the carriage Ruby and Jaune were sat on steadily climbed upwards.
Ruby gave her friend a worried look as his knuckles turned white from gripping onto the metal railing acting as a safety bar and his face turned a ghostly pale mixed with a tinge of vomit-like, Frankenstein green. They'd agreed to see how well he reacted to the Ferris wheel before bothering to try with any of the faster rides, and if his face was any indication as to the results of their little test then Jaune certainly wouldn't be going on anything faster than the teacups
"I'm okay." Jaune mumbled quietly, though the soft caress of the now night time breeze did little to cover up what he said. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
Ruby knew that it would probably put part of her in the potential firing line of whatever Jaune had eaten that day, but she ignored the innate icky feeling she felt at the thought and put her hand on Jaune's left, gently holding onto it and squeezing softly to distract him and show her support.
Jaune gave her a strained smile before gluing his eyes to the growing horizon in front of them. The fair stretched out up to the edges of the Beacon Cliffs and the glimmering lights of Vale shimmered in the distance, a small light flying across the air showing a Bullhead heading towards the city and a distant lighthouse flashing it's beam through the darkness somewhere near the coast.
Ruby gasped at awe at the awesome sight. It was hard to describe what it was that actually made her like the view, maybe the fact she was seeing everything from a perspective she never saw it from, maybe it was the glimmering lights and distant sounds of civilization or the feeling of cool, soft wind rustling around them both.
Or maybe it was the fact she was with Jaune. Or all of the above.
That seemed about right.
She glanced at her friend, who's face had lost its greenness and was looking outwards with an awed look Ruby imagined was also on her face. Or had been. She felt a little more pensive now. Nervous even.
"Ruby?" Jaune asked, as the Ferris wheel slowed towards the top. "Is there something on my face?"
"No." She answered quietly. "Your face is your face."
"What…What does that even mean?" Jaune replied, cocking his head like a puppy in confusion. Ruby swallowed nervously, and an awkward silence grew between the two before his eyes widened and her face flushed.
Somehow, the dork had managed to decipher the look on her face and the reason why. This was the same guy who had Pyrrha freaking Nikos pining after him all year but could read her like a book because of one look in a matter of seconds.
Or maybe it was because she was just as dorky as him, and he himself felt the same way about her as she did for him.
Then the ride jolted to a stop. Ruby looked away, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Jaune do the same, his hands clenching against the safety railing once more.
Her heat clenched. Did that mean he didn't like her? Like that at least? Was he thinking about gently letting her down? What if he was dating someone else? Why would he even love someone like her when there were people like Yang and Blake and Pyrrha surrounding him on a daily-?
All thoughts stopped at the first pop, whistle and bang. Her first instinct was to jump and identify the source, only for the sparkling light above her to quickly draw her attention.
Then another pop, whistle and bang. Again and again and again until the sky was filled with noise and sparkling lights trailing smoke. Her eyes widened with wonder as the dark sky suddenly turned into an artist's canvas of colour and shapes.
Something clammy but comforting rested on top of her hand, and Ruby followed it up to the vibrant blue eyes of Jaune Arc, the lights of the fireworks glimmering in them and bathing his face in colour.
"They're pretty and all." He said loudly, but because of the noise of the fireworks it sounded like a mere whisper. "But they've got nothing on you."
Ruby swallowed her suddenly dry throat, eyes locked onto his before she turned her hand upside down so their fingers could intertwine.
Then they leaned forward, fireworks bathing them in a rainbow of light and colour, until their lips met, the pounding of their hearts drowning out all other noise.
Coco Adel leaned back and sighed. Her butt was sore from sitting down for so long and the uniform she'd been forced to wear was ridiculously un-everything. All it was good for, and deserve to be used for, was kindling for fire.
She'd never try pranking Professor Port ever again, not if it meant being forced into slave labour under the guise of 'community service'. Then she perked up as two of her temporary bosses' customers got off the Ferris wheel, hands held, faces red and giggling to one another with a star struck look in their eyes as they gazed at one another, blind to the knowing, happy and jealous looks being shot their way.
Coco leaned back and stretched her arms, feeling her bones pop and letting out a more content sigh. Even if she looked like she had no idea what fashion even meant, she could at least still matchmake.
And by the gods weren't those two a cute couple.
Weiss was in a dilemma.
Yang was asleep. Blake was asleep. Ruby was asleep.
None of that was unusual. The dilemma emerged from the fact that Weiss had drawn the short straw and been forced to stay up with Yang whilst they waited for Ruby to get back.
Ruby got back, Yang went to bed, Weiss got ready to do the same and Ruby scribbled away at her diary, a happy look on her rosy face and weird little giggles quietly emitting from her every now and then.
Weiss was worried. It was unusual behaviour after all. Sure her team leader, partner, and self-titled bestie better than the restie was an optimistic, happy go-lucky sort of person, but she certainly wasn't a stereotype of a teenage girl in love.
It was that precise thought that worried Weiss. Ruby in love. With someone. Probably a guy.
Yang's inevitable rampage alone was enough to convince Weiss to take action. The problem was that Weiss respected her teammates' privacy, and wouldn't violate it under any circumstances.
The problem was that Ruby had forgotten to put her stuff away properly, and her diary had been left open on the desk as she had rushed to brush her teeth and hop into bed.
Well…she kind of was asking for it. It would also be a lesson in the importance of making sure important documentation was secure.
Resolve crumbled, Weiss slid out of her bed and tip-toed over to the desk, flicking on the lamp for light before flipping backwards a few pages. She'd need to start from the start of the newest entry to understand everything after all.
The Vytal festival is a wonderful thing…
